This invention relates to modifying the surface of carbon microfibers.
Carbon microfibers (i.e. fibers having very small diameters, typically less than 1 micron) are known. Microfibers having diameters less than 0.5 micron are often referred to as fibrils. Examples of such microfibers and methods for preparing them are described in Tennent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,230 (“Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Compositions Containing Same”), Tennent et al., U.S. Ser. No. 871,676 filed Jun. 6, 1986 (“Novel Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Compositions Containing Same”), Tennent et al., U.S. Ser. No. 871,675 filed Jun. 6, 1986 (“Novel Carbon Fibrils, Method for Producing Same and Encapsulated Catalyst”), Tennent et al., U.S. Ser. No. 149,573 filed Jan. 28, 1988 (“Carbon Fibrils”), and Mandeville et al., U.S. Ser. No. 285,817 filed Dec. 16, 1988 (“Fibrils”), all of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application and are hereby incorporated by reference.